Darren Shan: Hunting the truth
by Loop-da-loopy
Summary: This is from Annie's point of view around a year after Darrens death.
1. Death

I've now redone chapter 2 so I hope its better. This chapter is still the same though, I didn't mean to take this chapter off, but I accidentally did. Anyway this is from Annie's point of view after Darren's death. Please read and review!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Darren Shan.  
  
The picture still haunts me. Darren lying dead on the pavement. Its there in my dreams, its there when I wake. I can't stop it crawling around in my mind. I can't stop going over that day in my head.  
  
It was such a special day, we'd been laughing and joking. We were all so happy. Steve had recovered and nobody would find out about the spider. So everything was back on track. Darren was being extra nice to me; I thought it was because I hadn't told on him about stealing the spider and Steve's bite. Now I think about it I'm not so sure that was the reason. He would never normally hug and kiss mum and dad; it was like he knew something bad was going to happen, like he wanted to make his last day really memorable and special for all of us.  
  
After the funeral, mum would just sit there, silent tears rolling down her pink cheeks. Dad tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't talk to him. She seemed to blame him for what happened. Every night, I cried myself to sleep, wishing that Darren would walk through the door laughing, saying it was all a big joke. I tried to be strong, for mum's sake, she wouldn't talk to anyone she just sat there in silence, not eating or drinking, just wasting away quietly. Dad called out the doctor for her, but she wouldn't say one word. The doctor said she was suffering from depression and bereavement. She was taken away and put into a special mental hospital.  
  
No one told me what was going on, it was like they thought I couldn't cope with it. I often asked Dad when mum was coming home and whether I could visit her, he just said she was ill in the head, and would be better soon. About two months later, Dad told me we were going to visit mum. I was so happy. I had missed her so much. When we went in to her room, she was just lying there. Thin, motionless and as pale as a ghost. The nurse said she wouldn't eat and they had been feeding her through a drip. I didn't understand. Why hadn't she made an effort to get better, for dad and me? Why wouldn't she talk to us? I spoke to her quietly hoping that she might respond in some way. Her eyes fell upon me slowly, and she realised I was there. I told her about school and things I was doing, but still she didn't speak.  
  
We visited her every day after that. She seemed to get worse each time I saw her, until finally one day we got a call from the hospital, saying she had died peacefully in the night. She had just given up on life.  
  
So much had happened to me in those few months. First Darren, then mum. Now it was only dad and I. I was so young but had experienced so much pain. None of my friends had ever had to go through anything like I had and I hoped they never would. I found it hard to concentrate at school; only one thing occupied my brain. Teachers were sympathetic, but nobody understood what I was going through. Steve was the only one I could really talk to. He listened to me and it did me good to talk about Darren and my mum.  
  
I began to think about that last day with Darren again. He had been acting weird all week. Like there was something he was hiding. I asked Steve about it and he agreed that Darren had been weird. I told him how I felt about the freak circus, as it was after that, everything went wrong. He told me there was something only him and Darren knew. The reason why everything had gone wrong. He said it was time I knew the truth. 


	2. Truth

Thanks for the reviews and suggestions. They are much appreciated!! This is the hopefully better chapter 2. Sorry it's taken me so long. Chapter 3 is on its way! Thanks to my friend Kirsten who came up with the idea of putting the Internet into the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Darren Shan saga.  
  
"I know you're gonna find this difficult to take in Annie, but what I'm telling you is the truth. Darren isn't really dead. He faked his own death so that he could live a new life as a vampire's assistant."  
  
The shock of what I'd just heard overwhelmed me. My brain rattled with unanswered questions. All of which made my stomach churn. I couldn't believe him. My brother, Darren, would never fake his own death to join some evil vampire, but Steve insisted he was telling the truth and that Darren was now travelling with the vampire, drinking blood from innocent humans. Darren had always been so kind-hearted and gentle, and it made no sense what so ever that Darren was an evil creature of the night. I didn't want to let go of all the good memories I had of us together; after all, they were what got me through the recent rough times.  
  
I had to admit that Darren had been acting slightly strange in those last weeks he was with us. Steve told me it was because the vampire blood was consuming him, eating up every last drop of the goodness Darren held within, but vampires didn't really exist did they? It was just a made- up story and even if it wasn't how could my own brother turn into a monster that fed on human blood.  
  
I didn't know what the real truth was, but I had to find out or it would drive me insane. Steve hadn't really told me much, but I knew that he believed Darren was pure evil. Hatred and anger flooded his eyes as he spoke about Darren and the supposed vampire "Vur Horston" or "Mr Crepsley". He blamed them for everything that had gone wrong in the last year and it was clear that nothing would persuade him otherwise.  
  
My head swirled with questions and images. Images of Darren sucking blood from an innocent person. I felt completely mixed up. My father didn't notice the change in my mood; he didn't really pay me any attention nowadays. Everyday was the same. He would come in from work and then sit in front of the telly all evening, swigging from a half-empty vodka bottle. I tried to talk to him but he would just curse at me to leave him alone. He was becoming an alcoholic and I was terrified he might go the same way as my mum.  
  
I couldn't stand it any longer; I had to find out if Darren really was alive. I decided the first place to look would be the freak circus that the vampire belonged to. Trouble was I had no idea where they were. That evening I decided to find out more about freak circuses. The Internet was my first thought. It might have some information about the freak circus Darren belonged to. I typed in "Cirque du Freak" (Steve had mentioned the name to me earlier) on a search engine. Strangely, it came up with lots of pages. None of which seemed to be the right place, but I looked anyway. The first one I clicked was named "Circo de Bestia". I wasn't sure what it meant, but thought it would be a good place to start.  
  
The page came up, bright letters came flashing up bearing the name and attractions. My eyes skimmed down the information, searching for any signs that this circus was joined with the Cirque du Freak. I didn't think there could be that many freak circuses in the world, meaning the ones that did exist would almost definitely know each other. I thought my best chance would be to email the owner of the Circo de bestia and hope that he may have heard of the monstrous place Darren had joined. 


	3. Lies and Hopes

Here's Chapter 3 for you, it was a little rushed so I hope its ok! Please read an review!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Darren Shan Saga, but Brackens dale is mine!!!  
  
"Dear Owner of Circo de Bestia,  
My name is Annie Shan, I am 12-years-old. I am writing to enquire whether you know of a freak circus similar to your own, named Cirque du Freak. I am searching for my brother, Darren Shan, and have reason to believe he has joined this particular circus. I desperately need to find him and would be grateful for any information you have. Please could you contact me via this telephone number:  
  
01445 394416  
  
Yours Faithfully  
  
Annie Shan"  
  
I knew he probably wouldn't know the Cirque du Freak but I was willing to try anything. This person may even know the owner and be able to send me in the right direction. It was a long shot, but it was possibly my only chance of finding Darren. I decided not to mention that Darren was believed to be dead by everyone accept Steve, who had now told me that my brother was a vampire. It would sound like a completely made-up story to anyone who read it. It was just simpler to say I was searching for him.  
  
The next couple of weeks brought no luck. I had heard nothing from the Circo de Bestia and was thinking of writing to another freak circus, but sure enough I received a phone call from a man claiming to be the owner of Circo de Bestia. My heart leapt when he announced this. Maybe he would know something about the Cirque du Freak, anything at all would help. He spoke in a deep, mysterious voice, which sent an ice-cold shiver down my back. He said that his name was Mr Grefan and that he was a friend of a man named Cormac Limbs who supposedly worked at the Cirque du Freak.  
  
Questions spurted from my mouth at once. I was sure this would give me the key to the location of the freak circus. I asked him if he knew where they were playing, he replied that he had watched them perform just outside Brackens dale, which was about 60km from my hometown. I felt a wave of excitement flood over me. I knew I had to get to Brackens Dale, but it would be tricky. For one thing, although my father didn't really pay me much attention, he would surely notice I was missing.  
  
I thought about possible ways of sneaking out and then decided on a plan. That evening I asked my dad if he would give me £100 for a school trip. When he heard the amount strong swear words flew from his mouth, but he finally gave in after a lot of persuasion and flattery. I told him it was a trip to Brackens Dale Activity Centre and we would get there by train. It wasn't strictly a lie!  
  
I began to worry about what school would do when they found I wasn't attending, this story would give me enough cover for a couple of days, but if my search took longer, I would be in serious trouble. I knew if I was to get away with it, I had to keep a low profile. If the police got involved, everyone would be on look out, including the media. However I decided to worry about that when I came to it.  
  
My father was drunk most of the time, so unlike normal parents wouldn't care about the lack of information about the so-called trip. The next morning, I made an early-start, telling my Dad I had to meet the rest of the class at the train station. I set off with just a single bag with a change of clothes, money and food. A mixture of excitement and angst overwhelmed me. I didn't know whether I would find Darren, but I was full of hope as I boarded the train full of people travelling to work. 


	4. sleeping rough and strangers

Here is chapter 4; sorry it's taken a long time! I hope you all like it. Thanks for all the reviews so far and thanks to my good friend chinchilla- in-a-bowl for her help with my story!  
  
As the train stopped, I felt my nerves worsening. Butterflies fluttered madly in my stomach as I headed towards the main road in search of directions. I walked briskly, my head held high along with my spirits. All of a sudden the clouds burst and raindrops began to fall. Even though I was soaked to the skin, I was as determined as ever as I headed down a dark side street. I saw a sign for Bracken Park, which was where they were said to be. My excitement increased as I walked up the steep hill towards the park. Yet when I reached my destination, my heart sank. All I saw was a deserted, wet, muddy area littered with pieces of damp paper.  
  
Raindrops streamed down my face as I just stood blankly; staring at the lonely place I had come to. I was so sure I would find them and now all I felt was disappointment. I bent down and picked up one of the sodden flyers. "Cirque du Freak", "Wolf man", "Cormac Limbs", "Truska: The Bearded woman". The colourful words were now smudged and dull, but I remembered the names from when Darren had described the acts to me after his first fateful visit to the Cirque.  
  
Cold, wet, scared and alone. I trudged along, holding the leaflet, my clothes clang to my shivering body. I couldn't think straight. I didn't have a clue where I was going, but I carried on walking, my head down low. Night fell, the heavy clouds blocked out the moon and stars. I cowered in a shop doorway, shaking with fear and cold. A few years ago, I would never have believed that I would be spending nights on the streets while in search of my supposed resurrected, vampire of a brother.  
  
I no longer felt strong and determined; I didn't really know what to do. Whether I should carry on searching or just admit failure and go home. The streets gradually filled with shoppers, most gave me dirty looks, like I was some kind of common tramp. I felt a coin hit me sharply on the side of my head. I felt annoyed that people thought I needed charity and so looked up to see who it was. A strange looking young man came up to me. He looked like he had some kind of skin problem. He clutched a large suitcase as he looked down on me to apologise.  
  
"Are you ok?" He spoke gently "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hit you like that".  
  
I mumbled something quietly in return as he continued to stare at me. He paused for a moment as if thinking and then blurted out:  
  
"You really remind me of my friend,"  
  
I stood up and faced him. I felt shocked when I saw the extent of his skin problem. It looked almost scale like. I averted my eyes as he caught me looking.  
  
"Look its ok I'm not some kind of monster you know." he joked, "My names Evra, Evra Von and I'm really sorry about throwing money at you! I thought you were begging," He laughed, blushing slightly. "You look frozen. You want to come have a drink with me in that café? My treat?"  
  
I wasn't sure whether to accept his kind offer. For all I knew he could be a mass-murderer, but he seemed nice and I could always scream for help as there were plenty of people around. Plus I was icy cold and only had a small amount of money left. I followed him into the café, it was dingy and smoky but it was warm. He sat me down and ordered two cups of tea for us. I didn't say much to him at first. After all he was a complete stranger.  
  
"What's your name?" He asked as we drank.  
  
"Annie Shan," I replied quietly and watched as an expression of shock came over his face. 


	5. Love and anger

Here' chapter 5 for you all. Thanks again for the reviews! Keep them coming! Sorry I take so long to put up chapters, only I've been busy recently, hopefully chapter 6 wont take so long as it's the Easter holidays! Happy Easter people!  
  
"D.. D.. Did you say Annie shan?" He spluttered, his eyes wide.  
  
I replied shyly, wondering why he was so surprised by my name. I didn't really no what to say to him. He seemed to be studying me intently, his brain thinking quickly. Finally he spoke, words came rushing speedily from his mouth.  
  
"You don't know a Darren Shan do you? It's probably nothing, I mean you can't be, can you?"  
  
Now it was my turn to be shocked. Could this young man with a terrible skin problem possibly know Darren?  
  
"You know him? Darren Shan? He's my brother! Is he ok?" I exclaimed.  
  
"Darren's my friend, we work together. Look I can take you to him, I'm sure he'd love to see you." Evra said, he seemed excited too.  
  
I couldn't believe that I could soon be seeing my brother. I missed him so much, but then another thought crossed my mind. How would Darren cope when he discovered mum had passed away? I decided not to think about it just yet, and wait until the moment arose. There were so many questions I needed to ask him and finally I would get my chance.  
  
We walked briskly along the damp streets. I began to shiver again, but not from the cold, I was excited yet nervous at the prospect of seeing my brother, alive and well, whose funeral I had attended not so long ago.  
  
"Listen Annie, I know this must be pretty hard for you. Darren told me how he faked his own death and everything. It must have been awful for you, seeing your own brother lying there dead and I don't know what your expecting from him, but I'm afraid I don't think he'll be able to go back with you, it's, umm, too risky." He said carefully, choosing his words.  
  
His voice made me stop dead. Did this mean it really was true? Darren had really become a vampire.  
  
"What do you mean by risky? Is it true? Is he really a vampire?" I gushed, my eyes beginning to fill with tears.  
  
"Yes it's true, but I'm going to let him explain to you, I expect your being tormented with questions for him." Evra said strongly.  
  
Silent tears began to run down my pink cheeks as we walked to the cirque du freak. I felt overwhelmed by what Evra had said and all I wanted to do was find out how Darren could just leave his family and put us through all that sadness and misery.  
  
I looked up to see a large, dark building. It was much the same to the one that Darren had told me about when he went to see the cirque. I felt a large rush of emotions. Anger, sadness, excitement and angst. My mind felt very mixed up and confused.  
  
Evra showed me in and told me to wait there. He said he would go and find Darren. I sat down, my heart thumping, my breathing rapid. My whole body was shaking madly. What if he didn't want to see me? What if he hated me and that was why he became a vampire? But sure enough I heard the sound of fast footsteps and Evra appeared, Darren by his side.  
  
I stood up. My eyes searching over Darren, checking that it really was him, that I really had found him at last. His facial expression showed worry, happiness and shock. He rushed forward. Embracing me tightly. Tears pouring from both of us. We stood there in each other's arms, so happy to have been reunited. I suddenly remembered what he had done and pushed him away strongly.  
  
"How could you do that to us?" I screamed. "I thought you loved us. How could you join this, this evil place and become a monster, an inhuman monster?" I shouted fiercely, punching and kicking at him, finally letting out all the anger I had felt in the past months. He stood there, just accepting all the violence I was showing to him.  
  
I cried and cried as I stopped screaming, my energy running out. He looked at me intently, and hugged me again. More and more tears streamed out, as I cried into his shoulder. The anger I felt was overwhelmed by the rush of love that I felt or my brother. 


End file.
